Find the Best Things to Do in Indre Byen

About Indre Byen

Photo courtesy of Cees V. Roeden

One of Copenhagen's oldest neighborhoods, 'Indre Byen' means literally the inner city, a title that harks back to the days when Copenhagen was a walled city, with entrances at the three ports Vesterport, Osterport and Norreport. Today, it is a vibrant district of shops, cafes and bars, busy during the week with shoppers and in party form on weekend evenings. The district is split in half by its long, pedestrianized street popularly known as 'Stroget' (the Walking Street); to its north, the Latin Quarter is named after the academics of University of Copenhagen, one of the oldest universities in Europe and filled with small, lively streets lined with second-hand shops and coffee bars. South of Stroget, the outdoor cafes of the quarter's canalside streets make a great place to simply sit and enjoy the ambience.

See & Do

Historic landmarks of the Indre Byen include the 17th-century observatory Rundetaarn, Copenhagen's cathedral Vor Frue Kirke and the stately Rådhus or city hall are all located in Copenhagen's Indre Byen. The neighborhood also boasts contemporary art galleries like Kunsthallen Nikolaj, Kunstforeningen Gammel Strand and last but not least the Nationalmuseet.

Eat

Hungry diners are spoilt for choice in Copenhagen's Indre Byen district, where everything from connoisseur coffee shops, traditional Danish lunch restaurants and cosmopolitan cafes to five-star dinner establishments, late-night pizzerias and international steakhouses are at hand. During summer, head over to one of the picturesque old squares north of Stroget, like attractive Grabrodretorv for great al fresco dining. Well-established Peder Oxe is just one of the square's great eateries.

Party

Though pretty quiet mid-week, come the weekend, Copenhagen's Indre Byen doesn't go to bed. All the big nightclubs are found in this area, from free-bar Penthouse, gay-friendly Club Christopher and techno Culture Box to live jazz venues like Jazzhus Montmartre and Copenhagen Jazzhouse. There are also a number of Irish pubs popular with Copenhagen's expat community, including The Globe, and Bloomsdays; cocktail bars like Ruby and K-Bar meanwhile mix a mean martini.

Stay

Most of the hotels in the Indre Byen are at the smart end, but even the cheaper accomodation is design-conscious. Stay right where the action is at boutique hotels like First Hotel Skt Petri, Hotel 27 and Hotel Fox, all of which have hip bars inside the building. Budget travelers looking for central accomodation should check out Downtown Hostel, with a cafe-bar that encourages guests to mix and mingle.

Shop

Denmark's big names in fashion and design all have flagship stores in the Indre Byen. You can find souvenir shops, toy stores and high street fashion on Strøget, and grand old department stores like Magasin du Nord and Illum are known throughout Denmark. The more interesting boutiques can be found on the smaller streets; the studenty Latin Quarter is great for vintage clothing while south of Stroget is ideal for crafty gift items.